Your Friend, Grady Money

This was told by Dr. Bruce Chesser at a Pastors Breakfast.

All pastors have a group of people we call on to pray.  After a while we learn the person’s pattern in praying.  So at the end of one service Dr. Chesser called on Grady Money to say the closing prayer.

Grady was an older gentleman know for his praying.  He began as he always did thanking God for the day and the services.  Then he thanked God for the message and prayed he hoped we would all learn from it.  Next he prayed for the missionaries around the world: for their safety and effectiveness.  At last he prayed thanking God for the food we would all have for lunch when we got home.

Most people close their prayers with the familiar words, “In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”  That was Grady’s typical ending but for some reason his thoughts locked up on him and he couldn’t remember those words.  He had prayed a beautiful prayer in his typical pattern but when he brought her in for a landing he couldn’t get the landing gear to come down.  He couldn’t think of those words so he did the only thing he knew to do.

Instead of landing that prayer he took her up for another round.  He thanked God for the day and the services.  He thanked God for the message and prayed he hoped we would all learn from it.  He took us overseas and prayed for the missionaries.

By this time Dr. Chesser said even he was looking around.  He looked to the pulpit where Grady was praying.  Grady’s eyes were closed and he was praying hard…and probably trying to remember how to close the prayer.

He prayed for our food and came to the point of landing that prayer a second time.  There was a long silence but no, “In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”  After what seemed like eternity but couldn’t have been more than ten seconds, Grady took her up again.  Like a nervous pilot bailing out of a landing just prior to touching down with the hopes that the next time around would be better.

Dr. Chesser saw that nobody except Grady Money had their eyes closed.  Everyone was looking around wondering what was happening.  He had prayed the exact same prayer twice and was starting it again.  Grady’s hands were locked onto the pulpit, his knuckles turning white.

He prayed for the day and the services, the message and the missionaries, and finally the food.  The entire congregation waited to see what he would say next.

Another long silence.  Surely nobody would blurt out, “In Jesus’ name I pray.”  But maybe somebody would.  The silence lingered.  Just when you thought he would take her up for a fourth round, he said….

“Your friend, Grady Money.”